“Your highness, the guests have all arrived. His majesty, the King, has requested your presence at the main hall.”

“Okay. I will be there shortly.” Sylvia nodded. 

She took another look at herself in the mirror and saw a reflection that was both familiar and at the same time unfamiliar.

Her lips curved upward into a small smile that only showed the sadness in her eyes and she gracefully stood up, walking out of her chamber into the long corridor.

Her high heels clacked on the marble floor and though it was her first time wearing such an uncomfortably foot ware, her steps were steady and balanced.

She walked casually as if there wasn’t an entire swarm of beast men and women waiting to see her and judge her for everything that she was and she was not.

She walked to the end of the corridor and she could already hear the chatter and the excitement in the air. Though she doubted it had anything to do with her.

Sylvia turned the corner. She was now standing in a hallway, at the center of which there were two sets of stairs unfolding symmetrically, leading down to the main hall of the palace.

She paused a moment as she saw a familiar figure there, her father, the King. His back was facing towards her, but yet she knew that it was him.

He was tall and lean. His golden hair shone brilliantly under the splendor of the decorations and he wore a black bedazzled military jacket, with a golden coat, white fur lining the collar.

And when she looked closely, he had golden scales covering part of his neck and hands, or at least the small amount of skin that was exposed.

The man was literally covered in something gold and he was glittering from top to bottom, right from his hair.

Not to mention the royal palace in itself was structured around a golden theme. Sylvia furrowed her brows, wondering about their eccentric obsession with the golden color.

For some reason, these people were fascinated by that hue. It was almost comical and if she wasn’t too preoccupied she would have definitely laughed. 

She took another step, walking towards the man and he turned around as if he had sensed her presence.

For a second, it looked like he was stunned, but Sylvia knew that that was not possible.

He had been straightforward with her since the day they had met and did not make any attempts to hide the fact that he was repulsed by her.

“Your majesty.” Sylvia bowed, greeting him. She held her dress with her hands, bending her head in a small courtesy.

The king nodded. She could feel his eyes bore into her, making her uncomfortable, making her wonder just how much he hated her.

Nevertheless, he dismissed the two men who were standing beside him and stepped forward to meet her, his gaze now lingering on her indifferently.

Sylvia couldn’t help but wonder what she preferred, the indifference or the hatred.

“Let’s not keep the guests waiting.” Frederick Akhekh coldly muttered, extending his hand towards her.

She bowed again and gently placed her hand in his hand, his cold gaze washing over her one more time.

He then started walking over to the set of stairs on the right side, leading Sylvia as he did.

The entire hall turned silent immediately, almost everyone freezing on the spot and stopping what they were doing.

Only the gentle flowing music sounded in the background, a beautiful note playing, as everyone turned to look up in awe and surprise.

“King Frederick Akhekh, ruler of the beasts and his daughter, fourth princess, Sylvia Akhekh.” A loud voice announced their arrival, booming and echoing amidst the silence.

Following this, the King began to descend the stairs, still leading Sylvia along with him.

Sylvia could feel her skin tingling perhaps because of the man’s domineering presence near her or perhaps because of the million eyes trying to gauge her.

Holding the edges of her long flowing maroon dress, that shimmered as if diamonds and rubies were studded within it, Sylvia slowly and gracefully walked down the stairs.

Her long silver hair cascaded and danced behind her as she took one step after another.

Her eyes, her hair and her dress were three different colors and yet somehow she looked ethereal, even pulling off that bizarre combination.

She couldn’t hear the murmurs and chatters of the crowd anymore and when she looked around she saw several strange faces staring back at her.

Some had horns, some had scales, some even had spikes coming out of their body, but most of the guests seemed to be in their human form, neatly dressed in luxurious clothing.

However, every single pair of eyes within the huge grand hall gazed at her unblinkingly. Some had looks of awe and wonderment, while some had looks of disgust and jealously.

Strangely, Sylvia was already used to such treatment. So it didn’t bother her and she calmly walked down.

The two of them stopped after they reached the end of stairs and once again an announcement was made, this time Frederick Akhekh personally making the announcement.

“My fourth daughter, Sylvia Akhekh.”

His voice was sharp and domineering and his words were short, yet the effect it had was shocking.

The entire crowd immediately broke into a loud applause after hearing his statement and cheers were heard from all corners of the big hall.

Several people came forward and greeted the King and also greeted Sylvia who was standing next to him.

She politely nodded, not feeling overwhelmed. Since she was the star of the evening, it was only normal for people to swarm towards her and crowd around her.

They smiled and greeted her and Sylvia as well returned their greeting. Her beautiful face shone in the dazzling lights inside the hall and she had a pleasant expression.

However… strangely…

Despite the sea of people around her… and all the attention that she was receiving… Sylvia couldn’t help but shudder as a desperate loneliness slowly crawled into her heart.